The Latest HGTV Death Hoax Explains Just How Unhinged AI Celebrity Rumors Have Become

The Latest HGTV Death Hoax Explains Just How Unhinged AI Celebrity Rumors Have Become Hilary Farr poses in a kitchen.Image via HGTV By  Michael Block Published 22 minutes ago Michael Block is a 14 time GLAM Award nominated writer, producer, and host of the podcast Block Talk. Throughout his time in the entertainment industry, he has worked on and off Broadway as a stage manager, written several produced plays, critiqued hundreds of theatrical performances, drag and cabaret shows, and has produced events randing from drag competitoons to variety concerts!  On Block Talk, he interviews nightlife personalities, covers the wide world of entertainment through features, ranking episodes, and recaps ALL of Drag Race, as well as Dragula and Survivor. He has interviewed hundreds of RuGirls that span the globe at DragCon NYC, DragCon LA, and DragCon UK.  In his free time, he makes one-of-a-kind jewelry and gift baskets with his mom. He is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community.  Sign in to your Collider account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

She's alive! After inaccurate rumors went viral, HGTV star Hilary Farr is setting the record straight. Last week, the former Love It or List It legend shared an Instagram post debunking the rumors of her alleged declining health. In the video, Farr, sporting her newly iconic grey hair, shared a news article that featured false images of her lying in a hospital bed with an oxygen mask. The headline was, "She Might Not Make It." After a moment to take it all in, she said, "Ta-da! I'm alive. Very, very, very much so alive and well, I'm happy to say."

Trying to take it on the chin and make light of the dark rumor, Farr's fake death rumors are nothing new. It's been a new trend on social media. Over the years, many celebrities have been plagued by death and health hoaxes. But now, in the age of AI, the ability to share false stories has been amplified. These abysmal hoaxes are no laughing matter, but is there any way to stop them?

Hilary Farr Is Alive and Well

In Farr's slightly cheeky and very real reel, Farr exposed the falsities of the hoax while highlighting the growing problem of AI-driven celebrity hoaxes, even beyond death and health rumors. "Look at this thing, really?" she said. "It's so badly done. It's crazy AI stuff," noting how poor the AI-generated images were. “I hope none of you would really take any of this seriously and realize it is just fake beyond words,” she continued. But there may have been some validity to why some HGTV fans initially believed the headlines.

Back in September, Farr shared a social media video revealing that she was a breast cancer survivor. Farr was diagnosed in 2014 with cancer, undergoing three lumpectomies and radiation. She is now in remission. Fans of Farr have stood by her every step of the way during her journey with cancer, showing her support in her posts when she gives updates. It was no different when she uploaded the brutal AI hoax. As one fan wrote, "Always love to see you alive and well and thriving."

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In 2023, Farr announced she was leaving the hit HGTV series after 19 seasons alongside her foe and friend, David Visentin. Speaking to People at the time of her decision, Farr shared, "I was in a rut. It's been so many years. You want to feel that every day is something different and special, and grasp for those challenges. That's really what I think drives me, anyway." She revealed that while working through cancer, she had Visentin by her side. “I was working all the way through cancer, and he was always there. He had his little rough patches, too, here and there, and we were there for each other," the HGTV personality revealed. After Farr's departure, Page Turner joined Visentin, adding to the next evolution of the long-running series.

AI Death and Health Hoaxes Are Not New, But They Must Stop

'Love It or List It' stars Hilary Farr and David Visentin stand close inside a house and look at each other.Image via HGTV

Clickbait has terrorized the internet, but it continues to get worse. Now, should a celebrity make an update about something health-related, chances are fake posts will be created to garner attention, causing unsuspecting victims to click on links and believe false or inaccurate sources. For example, earlier this year, Demi Moore spoke about the status of her ex-husband Bruce Willis and his battle with dementia, which prompted a flurry of false headlines and AI posts. There is now an AI video floating around featuring Moore and Willis speaking about his health. Unfortunately, those unwilling to do the research take the image as gospel, allowing the hoax to spread like wildfire. Knowing the emotional toll it has on the family, these images and videos are doing nothing but stoking the fire of emotions for the real individuals involved.

The hoaxes are incredibly difficult, especially for the living. They may be celebrities, but they certainly don't live in a vacuum. These hoaxes can truly be emotionally taxing as the viral spread can lead to social media banter, both positive and negative. While Farr found support for her hoax, some celebrities may not receive the same reaction. Should it be met with negativity or good riddance, it could be quite damaging. Death and health rumors are much worse than, say, AI-generated posts about fake movie castings.

The question remains: how can this be stopped? To begin, is there even a way to tell what's real and what is a hoax? The answer is yes. It just takes time and dedication to debunk lies. If you see something alarming, take the extra step to fact-check it. That said, be careful with your fact-checking. If you type it straight into a search engine like Google, and you're immediately met with Gemini, be warned: that's AI mining the Internet, which could fuel rumors. With media facing an all-time high in distrust, it's up to us to police the lies and report them as false. It's not always up to the celebrities to debunk the lies. We have to be active in mitigating negativity on social media today.

Love It or List It is available to stream on HBO Max.

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